Frangible collar fasteners are commonly used in a variety of applications such as aircraft and aerospace applications. The frangible collar fasteners include a bolt engaging portion which is threadably engageable to a bolt, and a frangible nut portion which facilitates tightening of the bolt engaging portion to the bolt. The frangible nut portion is designed to break off from the fastener after it has been tightened to a defined torque. As a result, the bolt engaging portion remains secured to the bolt and the separated nut portion can drop to the surrounding work area, or otherwise fall as debris into the structure being constructed. Where the structure includes areas of limited access, such as a wing box or other confined space, it may be difficult to recover the nut portions after they become separated from the fastener. Given the potential harm that such loose debris can cause to mechanical systems, avionics systems, weapons systems, fuel systems and the like, it is imperative that such debris is not allowed to remain loose within the structure.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus used in conjunction with power tools for tightening frangible collar fasteners and collecting the separated portions of the fasteners in a reliable manner that avoids introduction of debris into the work area. The present invention is engageable to a powered offset ratchet head to capture a plurality of separated nuts. The apparatus includes a receiving aperture, disposed adjacent to the powered offset ratchet head, to receive the nuts separated from the frangible collar fastener. The nuts may be collected in the shroud and/or communicated through the shroud to a discharge port. A vacuum source connected to the shroud discharge port, is operative to draw the separated nuts from the shroud to a remote location for collection. Alternatively, the shroud may be connected to a pressure source, connected to the shroud adjacent an interior surface formed to create a venturi effect within the shroud.
The venturi effect is operative to urge the separated nuts towards and out of the discharge port. The invention allows a plurality of frangible collar fasteners to be tightened without interrupting the production process to manually collect the separated fasteners. As a result, the invention provides a reliable apparatus for collecting the separated nut portions of frangible collar fasteners in an efficient manner that enhances products safety and allows for improved production rates.
Further details of the invention are set forth below and described in connection with the accompanying drawings.